NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service is responsible for the stewardship of our nation's living marine resources through science-based conservation and management and the promotion of healthy ecosystems. Some of the most biologically diverse ecosystems we seek to conserve are found in the deep sea where corals thrive beneath the reach of sunlight. To obtain the scientific information needed to conserve these ecosystems, NOAA's Deep Sea Coral Research and Technology Program (Program) works with the Regional Fishery Management Councils, and is enhanced by the research and ongoing collaborations with other federal agencies, international partners and non-governmental and academic scientists. In this report are the Program's research accomplishments in 2012 and 2013, and the progress made with the Councils to apply these findings to conserve and manage deep-sea coral habitats. We will continue to advance deep-sea coral science to enable habitat conservation actions under our stewardship mission for the benefit of the nation. This report describes management-relevant research activities conducted by offices throughout NOAA with funding from the Deep Sea Coral Research and Technology Program. It also briefly describes the progress in deep-sea coral management in the regions as it relates to the Program's research findings. A full list of funded projects appears in Appendix 1.
Citation: NOAA (2014). Deep Sea Coral Research and Technology Program 2014 Report to Congress. NOAA, Silver Spring, MD. 54pp.
